Breast cancer treatment starts with money

Oh, no! Here we go again with another "awareness conversation" ("Breast cancer: Angelina Jolie starts the conversation," May 16). After the fortunes raised by Race for the Cure and the other breast cancer groups, must we consider having both our breasts removed? I'm beginning to think being a woman is a life-long death sentence.

In "starting the conversation," why didn't Angelina Jolie mention how much her surgery, reconstruction and rehabilitation cost? If an initial exam is $3,000, what is the price of the entire procedure? Is this something our health insurance (should we be so lucky to have health insurance) picks up, or will it be an out-of-pocket expense? Is the procedure considered "experimental" and therefore exempt from reimbursement?

Now that our "awareness" has been raised, what should women do? I thought yearly mammograms were enough. Perhaps the breast cancer nonprofits will let us know and even chip in to pay our bills.